Why Location is Important to Brand

Fierce has always been a brand-driven company.We spent a lot of time crafting our brand to not only represent our aesthetic, but what we stand for and believe in as a company. It guides everything we do and includes qualities such as authenticity, transparency, and a HUGE appreciation for diversity (including diversity of thought). To name a few.

Quite recently,we engaged in a search for new office space and it struck me how important physical location is to the success of having a truly integrated brand.I was confronted with this during a walk-thru of the historic and beloved Smith Tower. I had a not-so-secret leaning towards this space prior to our visit. I loved the idea of being way up high in a Seattle landmark that included marble floors, elevator operators, and a wacky Chinese-themed bar/entertainment room tucked way up at the top of the building.

I kept trying to force the “this is it!” intuition to bubble up and nothing happened. I walked away with a feeling that something was off with the space but couldn’t put a finger on it. And then we walked into the next building.

Right away, I was hooked. It was a corner unit with window after window looking out over a very busy intersection in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. It was on the second floor so it was just high enough to get the perspective of people bustling here and there and yet not so high that they fell out of view.It was urban, funky, industrial, modern. A little polished. A little edgy. It was just right (as Goldilocks would say).

Clearly, this second option fit our brand.While my original idea of being in a tower seemed like a good idea, our business is about what’s happening on the ground. Our company needs to be connected with the people and conversations that take place every day on the not-so-impeccable streets of downtown.

The difference in the two options boiled down to this: The Smith Tower offered fantasy, Pioneer Square offered reality. Our choice was simple.